Chapter 49: On the Equality of Social Interactions

  Thanks for the reward from Kai Xin Ge Tong Xie, thank you!

  Chen Kefu also sized up Shen Guang for half a day, and based on what he had heard before and what he saw now, he thought Shen Guang was a very straightforward person. He didn't want to believe that such a person would betray him for wealth and glory. The key is that he really couldn't do as Lu Shide said, simply because he was afraid that the other party would inform on him, and then kill him like that.

  Shen Guang's family had been subjects of the Southern Chen dynasty for generations. Although he didn't place much importance on his imperial identity, if Shen Guang were to be killed now, how would he treat his other subordinates in the future? This was a bad start.

  "Hurry up and untie General Shen Guang, General Shen Guang's ancestors were also from my Southern Chen in the past. It's just a pity that my imperial ancestor was too absurd, so he handed over the good rivers and mountains to the Yang family. To say it is still our Chen family's fault, because of us, many people in Jiangnan suffered from the war, and also because of us, General Shen Guang's family moved thousands of miles from the south to the northwest. When General Shen Guang moved to Chang'an that year, he must have suffered a lot too?"

  Chen Kefu didn't have a very good impression of the Southern Chen imperial family. They occupied half of the world's territory, but they didn't know how to cherish their ancestors' foundation and ultimately gave it away so easily to others.

  Especially for nominal grandfather Chen Hou Zhu, he has no good impression at all. This Chen Hou Zhu can be considered one of the rare incompetent emperors in history. He and the current Emperor Yang Guang are both emperors who received the posthumous title "Yong" in history, but in Chen Ke's view, Yang Guang is still a capable emperor with a mixed reputation throughout his life. However, this cheap grandfather is indeed an incompetent emperor without any discount, to use the words of historical books, he was born in the deep palace and grew up under the hands of women. Apart from being the eldest son of the emperor, he has nothing else, he is just an emperor who only knows how to indulge in pleasure, a negative model for all emperors.

  When Chen Kefu asked about the past, Shen Guang, this heroic man, couldn't help but sigh. At the time of the Southern Chen's demise, he was only around ten years old, yet this experience left an indelible memory for him. After the Sui dynasty destroyed the Chen dynasty, in order to facilitate governance, all members of the Southern Chen royal family and high-ranking officials were relocated to Chang'an, with hundreds of thousands of people traveling from Jiankang across half of China to the northwest region of Chang'an. Along the way, countless people died, and many officials and nobles lost their families; less than half of the original number of people arrived in Chang'an.

  "Yes, back then when Emperor Yang of Sui gave the order, all the nobles and officials of the Chen Dynasty, as well as the imperial family, moved to Chang'an. Tens of thousands of people set off on foot, without enough carriages and horses. The journey was too long, and they couldn't bring many things with them. My Shen family was also a noble household in Jiankang back then, but when we set off from Jiankang, hundreds of people in our family abandoned their homes and belongings, and after almost a year of traveling, only less than 30 people were left when we finally arrived in Chang'an. And once we barely settled down in a house, we ran out of money. In the end, my whole family had to disperse all the remaining slaves, and even my elderly grandfather had to go serve as an official for those Sui Dynasty nobles in Chang'an."

  When it comes to those past events, Shen Guang also sighed, "My family's fortune has been declining since then. My father had a friend who entered the East Palace of Crown Prince Yang Yong as a small official, thinking that from then on, he would have a stable life. But who would have thought that Crown Prince Yang Yong was eventually stripped of his title by the current emperor? He became precarious and died soon after. Later, my father went to Han Wang Yang's mansion as an attendant, but who would have thought that Han Wang would rebel? Not long after, he failed and although my father kept his life, he was demoted to a commoner and could no longer hold office. Even my grandfather worried about it until his death. My family fell from then on, and we couldn't even keep our last bit of dignity. In the end, my father had to work as a scribe for others to make a living, and I became notorious in Chang'an."

  All the way, the country was destroyed and the family was broken. Chen Kefu and Lu Shideep were listening to Shen Guang's account of the Shen family's misfortunes after the fall of the Southern Dynasty, and they all sighed in dismay. Lu Shideep let out a sigh and said, "A man should be a great hero, the ancestral business is gone, it's gone, but Shen Guang, you are now a fifth-rank imperial guard general, it won't take long, you will surely revive the Shen family."

  Chen Kefu walked to the front of Shen Guang and bowed deeply, "General Shen Guang's family decline, the hardships you have suffered over the years are all the fault of my Chen family. Please accept my apology, I apologize for the mistakes made by my ancestors, for the hardships you have endured."

  Shen Guang was also shocked, not expecting Chen Ke to bow to him. He quickly stretched out his hand to support him, saying "What's the point of blaming you for those things? Alas, they're all in the past, let's just forget about them."

  "Does General Shen Guang not hate the Chen family?" Chen Ke asked back.

  Shen Guang sighed, "At first, I did hate him. I hated that as the emperor, he only sought pleasure and eventually led to the downfall of the country, causing suffering for the people. However, it's been over 20 years since then, what's the point of still holding onto so much hatred? Back in Jiankang, I had interactions with the Crown Prince, often receiving orders to accompany him. The Crown Prince was humble, handled matters with grandeur, and treated people well. If Southern Chen were ruled by him, it would have been great, unfortunately... At that time, I only knew that the Crown Princess was pregnant, but unfortunately, later heard that during the city's fall, she happened to be giving birth. Due to a difficult labor, neither mother nor child survived. Who would have thought that you actually managed to survive?"

  It was the first time Chen Kefu had heard someone mention his father, so he couldn't help but ask, "Sir Shen, how is my family in Chang'an? Is my father well?"

  "The royal family of the fallen state, where can they be good? Several princesses of Southern Chen were married to nobles and ministers of the Sui Dynasty. In the beginning, my aunt was also taken in by Emperor Wen of Sui as a concubine, namely Lady Xuanhua. Later, when Your Majesty ascended to the throne, she was again taken in, but unfortunately passed away several years ago due to depression. The last ruler went to Chang'an and indulged in drinking every day, but he also passed away more than ten years ago. As for my father, the crown prince, after arriving in Chang'an, it is said that Emperor Wen of Sui was very cautious towards him. It wasn't until Your Majesty ascended to the throne that he was able to leave Chang'an with the help of Lady Xuanhua and become the Taishou of Hexi. However, several years have passed, and he has never returned to Chang'an, and it is unknown whether he is still well. If the crown prince knew that you had grown up so well now, he would definitely be very happy. After arriving in Chang'an, he refused to remarry, and until now, he remains single."

  Chen Kefu did not expect that Shen Guang was actually a partner of his father back then, "There's no need to address my father as the Crown Prince anymore. Now we are all subjects of the Sui Dynasty, let's just forget about past matters."

  "Yes, let bygones be bygones. Please rest assured, sir. Although I inadvertently learned of your background, I won't tell anyone else about it. The Crown Prince was very kind to me back then and can be considered my former master. Moreover, your current status isn't anything significant, as long as it's not discovered by someone with malicious intentions. Your father is currently serving in an official capacity outside the capital, so even if His Majesty finds out, it won't be a big deal. Furthermore, you've repeatedly achieved great merits for the Emperor, so His Majesty won't have any reason to investigate further."

  Chen Kefu thought to himself, after all these years have passed, even his father, the former crown prince of the Southern Dynasty, can hold a local official position outside. As the son of the Crown Prince of Southern Chen, he should be in an even better situation. After all, the Southern Chen has long since become a thing of the past, and most of the women from the Southern Chen imperial family have been taken into the emperor's palace, while the rest have become wives or concubines of various ministers and nobles. The men of the imperial family are also serving as officials in the Sui Dynasty, which can be considered as being integrated into the Sui Dynasty.

  However, after some thought, Chen Kefu said, "Shen Daren, I still hope you can help me keep my personal affairs a secret. Shen Daren should also know that the Pei faction in the court has been questioning me a lot because I joined the Yuwen family, and if they find out about my background, they will definitely make an issue out of it. By then, even if nothing was originally wrong, they might stir up trouble. Anyway, I didn't know my background for over 20 years, so let's just leave it like that."

  "Don't call me Lord Shen anymore, I was once favored by the Crown Prince and often accompanied him. If I had to rely on my age, I could have been a senior general. Now, fate has brought us together again, making me a subordinate of General Ru's household. From now on, we are one family." Shen Guang said with a smile, glancing at Lu Shi-deep.

  Lu Shishen grunted and turned his head away. Although he was the same age as Shen Guang, he had never been acquainted with Chen Kefu's father before, and all along he had been of the same generation as Chen Kefu. If Shen Guang became Chen Kefu's elder, wouldn't that make him one generation older than Lu Shishen? And in the future at Broken Army Camp, wouldn't he be younger than this guy by a whole generation?

  Chen Kefu glanced at the two of them, "What Shen Guang said is also true, but you are only a decade or so older than me. It's a bit awkward for me to call you uncle. I think it's better this way: we'll each have our own relationships. You and my father can interact as peers, and I'll be friends with General Shen. I'll just call you brother, like Mao Yi and Old Lu do. Let's put the past behind us. I know you had some minor issues when you were young, but that was over 20 years ago. It's all in the past now. We're lucky to have reunited at Broken Army Camp, and from now on, let's be as close as brothers. I hope you can become my trusted right-hand men and help me lead Broken Army Camp well."

  He lifted the curtain and called in Xiaoye Li, asking her to pour wine for everyone from the jug she had brought from the kitchen. "Everyone, let's put it this way, we're all old friends, and also my brothers. From an official perspective, we're all generals of the Broken Army, so we're colleagues. Let's drink up and let bygones be bygones. Come on, after this cup, we'll all be brothers."

  Chen Kefu's bowl was already lifted, and Lu Shide and Shen Guang exchanged a glance before also lifting their bowls to drink up.

  "Haha, okay, let's forget about the past. I heard you have a nickname 'Meat Flying Fairy'? Just wondering how your riding skills are, and if you're interested in going out for a horse ride with me?" Lu Shide said with a smirk to Shen Guang.

  Shen Guang was also a straightforward person, putting down his wine cup and glancing at Lu Shi's still somewhat disgruntled expression. He smiled and said, "I know you're still holding a grudge against me for slapping you in the past. How about this: let's go out later and have a horse racing competition under the moonlight? If I lose, I'll treat you to wine and apologize for my mistake. But if you lose, we'll consider the past settled, what do you say?"

  "Alright, let's compare, and then leave." After finishing speaking, the two of them lifted up the tent flap and left.

  Young friends, I've come to wish you a happy new year. Don't even think about giving me red envelopes or rewards, just give me two recommendation tickets, okay? The ranking of my new book is dropping...